5.720 Sabbatical Leave

Policy Number: 5.720

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POLICY STATEMENT

The purpose of sabbatical leave is to give full-time, contractual faculty and administrators the opportunity to secure additional formal education or professional experiences that will enable them to meet their assigned duties, as listed in this policy manual, with greater efficiency and effectiveness. Faculty and staff members with a doctoral degree are encouraged to explore professional development opportunities with their supervisor that will benefit the College and its students, which may last up to 12 months in duration.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Faculty and staff who receive a sabbatical leave are required to return to National Park College for a minimum of at least two complete academic years of service. Faculty and staff who fail to honor this commitment will be required to repay National Park College the salary paid by the College during the sabbatical leave. The repayment process must be completed and certified by the Vice President for Finance and Administration and the President no later than the beginning of the academic semester in which they were obligated to return to the College.

PROCEDURES/RELATED DOCUMENTS AND FORMS

Sabbatical leave may be granted to faculty and staff members with the following conditions:

1. A full-time instructor or administrator, after seven consecutive years of employment by the College, may apply for up to one academic year's leave. When granted, compensations may be up to one-half of the individuals' base salary for that year.
2. Funds to cover the cost of the sabbatical are available.
3. Application for sabbatical leave requires that a comprehensive plan and personal letter of request be submitted to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and to the President. The application must be delivered to both the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the President by 4:00 p.m. on January 15, or the Friday prior to January 15, (if that date falls on a Saturday or Sunday) to be considered. Notification of approval or rejection will be provided no later than April 1 of the year preceding the leave.
4. Faculty on sabbatical leave may accept scholarships, fellowships, grants or employment providing experience which clearly serves the stated purpose of the sabbatical leave. Where additional graduate study is approved it shall be in a recognized institution of higher education, which is accredited by the regional accrediting agency, and enrollment in courses shall be related to assigned duties at National Park College.
5. Where additional graduate study is approved, it shall be in a recognized institution of higher education that is accredited by the regional accrediting agency and enrollment in courses shall be related to assigned duties at National Park College. 
6. Time spent on sabbatical leave is counted as continuous service at National Park College for all pay, advancement, and benefit purposes.
7. Credit for service at Garland County Community College begins Fall of 1973.